Transformation
by HPGIRL1996
Summary: I wasn't born evil, but the Cruciatus Curse can really screw up your thought process.  My name is Bellatrix Black, and this is my story.  Rated T for general darkness, my first fic.
1. Chapter 1

My whole body was on fire. I was suffocating, being stabbed, burning, freezing, starving – every type of pain within the realm of possibility was upon me. But most of all, I was screaming.

The pain persisted for what felt like many hours, and I thought I felt dozens of dull blades saw through my flesh before the Cruciatus Curse was lifted. I looked up and saw the face of Druella Black, decorated with an expression of crazy satisfaction. The face of my mother.

"How does that feel, you traitorous _squib?"_ she spat at me, throwing out her go-to insult.

I didn't want to give her that satisfaction of a reply, so I just glared at her nastily. Well, as nastily as a 13 year old in the fetal position can glare. I realized that I was in a position of weakness, so I sat up straight.

Dissatisfied with my lack of a response, she bent down until she was face to face with me. "Why did you have to feel that way? What horrendously traitorous act did you carry out this time, _darling_?" she hissed, adding a heavy dose of contempt to each word. I remained silent.

"You defended that _Mudblood_, Ted Tonks, didn't you, Bellatrix?" she yelled, "After everything we've gone through trying to teach Andromeda to see sense, you DEFENDED THAT SCUM!" Her yell turned into a hysterical scream, causing me to flinch involuntarily. She seemed to think that she got through to me, and looked like she was going to leave, but instead, she raised her wand and slashed it like a sword across my face. It felt like I was being whipped with a poker that had been sitting in a blazing fire for hours. I let out a yelp, unable to control myself, and watched her leave the room with a smug look on her face.

I cradled my face and wanted to cry, but I had to be strong. I held in my tears until I made it down the hall and into my bedroom. There, I could be vulnerable. There, I could let out my hatred for my mother with tears.

I fell asleep with an aching body and red, raised marks across my entire face. _Not a bad day_, I thought, _hopefully she'll be this forgiving tomorrow._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews I received, and I would love some constructive criticism! I really like exploring Bellatrix's character, and I may change things from the canon to suit her personality for me. And I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes - nobody's perfect. Anyway, enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own… well, anything. **

One month later, I woke up early, with my heart thumping slightly faster than usual in my chest – today was the day I was going back to Hogwarts for my third year. I had packed my things the night before, of course. I knew that I would wake up before everyone else, but I decided not to take that chance (my mother didn't like to be late). Though she hadn't hit me in weeks for fear of leaving marks, she knew that the Cruciatus Curse could still be used without a trace.

I picked up my suitcase, which was a brilliant emerald tone, and was decorated with a hand painted silver serpent. My mother gave it to me before I was even sorted, as if she was warning that I had better get into Slytherin. Not that she needed to send any more signals. By age six, I knew that getting into any different house would be my demise.

I thought back to the day that I was sorted.

_I was just as nervous as everyone else, if not more so. The only thing on my mind was what my mother would think if I wasn't sorted into Slytherin. I kept thinking about that during Headmaster Dippet's entire speech. _Slytherin. I must be put in Slytherin._ Only one person was called by Professor Dumbledore to be sorted (into Hufflepuff, the poor girl) before I heard my own name._

"_Black, Bellatrix."_

_A slight murmur ran throughout the whole hall at my name – the Blacks were quite well known in the wizarding world. We were well-respected pureblooded Slytherins, and my entire family wanted it to stay that way._

_I put on a face of complete confidence, just like my mother taught me, and walked casually up to the stool where my life's course would be determined. I took a seat on the stool and waited as the Professor lowered the hat onto my head._

"_Ah, a Black," it said, loud enough for everyone to hear. Then, it lowered its voice to a whisper that only I could detect. "But this one is different."_

_I sat there in shock. "Different?" I hissed._

"_Yes, quite. You have the makings of… well, it's clear that your mother has _convinced_ you not to want that…" _

Not… Gryffindor? _ I wondered silently._

"_Precisely. I see that you wouldn't do too badly in Ravenclaw, either," it joked. I didn't laugh. "But I can see deep within you, deeper than even you can… unfortunately, you would be a great Gryffindor… but these students are getting restless. SLYTHERIN!" he yelled. _

_I felt a wave of relief flood through me, but surprisingly, I also felt sort of empty. I wondered what could have happened if I was sorted into Gryffindor. What did it mean, that I would be great as a Gryffindor? I knew that my mother would have reacted horrifically, but… _

_I brought my thoughts back to the situation at hand. I sat down at the end of the Slytherin table, amidst loud applause, and watched as my fellow classmates were sorted into their proper houses. I paid particular attention to the new Slytherins. I knew that I had to scope out people that would (hopefully) be my friends._

_One of the boys was very handsome. Some of the others looked promising, like they would do quite well as comrades, but he was different. His black hair was nicely parted, so that it brought out his dark gray eyes. _

_It wasn't his general handsomeness that intrigued me, however, but his eyes. Those eyes were unlike any that I had ever seen. On the outside, he looked quite genial, but I could see that his true personality was deeper. He surveyed the entire Great Hall with a sort of detached curiosity. He took in those around him like a predator takes in his prey. I loved those eyes from the moment I saw them, but they were the scariest eyes I had ever seen – the eyes that belonged to Tom Riddle._

_Apparently, he had already gathered a well-sized group of friends. They were all sorted into Slytherin, as well. He appeared to have a good eye for Slytherin qualities. I decided to more from my awkward, lonely seat over to Riddle's area, hoping he would notice me. _

_I watched him from the corner of my eye during the feast, while I spoke to a funny looking boy whose last name was Crabbe. He wasn't very bright, but talking to him put me in close proximity to Riddle. I saw him look around the whole hall as he deftly avoided the many probing questions that were thrown at him. Unfortunately, he never once looked over at me._

I snapped back to the present, pulling my suitcase down the stairs and into the dining room. The house elves had already laid out breakfast, which included the favorite foods of myself and my sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa. I took a seat and started serving myself. My usual pre-Hogwarts nerves were hardly there, seeing as I had already spent most of two years there. Plus, I was more than ready to get away from my mum. That lack of nerves (for the most part) allowed me to pile my plate high with eggs, sausage, and thick pieces of toast. I added a good amount of pepper to all of my food, and dug in.

**I hope you all liked this chapter, and remember, constructive criticism is encouraged! Thank you for reading!**

**-hpgirl1996**


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